Nearly All Consider Financial Planning Critical, Survey Finds

Nearly all Americans, 92%, consider financial planning important, according to a survey commissioned by the Consumer Federation of America and the Financial Planning Association.

Another 53% have become keener on having a financial plan since Sept. 11, according to the survey of 1,007 people conducted by Opinion Research Corp. in March.

In conjunction with the survey, the two associations have launched a program to encourage Americans to save by offering them 30 minutes of free financial advice from a national network of 500 volunteer financial planners.

Called America Saves, the program will ask investors about their financial goals, suggest steps to achieve those goals and also suggest how to decrease debt, according to Samantha Rasnake, a spokeswoman for the Financial Planning Association.